City Directories and History: The Mollohon Mill site was demolished in 1979 after having been constructed in 1901 with George Summer as the President and designed by Lockwood Green. It is interesting to note, that the antebellum plantation of Dr. John Newton Herndon was named “Mollohon.”
Mollohon – A large and prosperous part of the northeastern section of Newberry County formerly carried this name, the origin of which is somewhat obscure. One tradition is that it was derived from the name of a family who had lived in that area prior to the War of the Revolution. The spelling originally seems to have been Mollyhon and even today one may occasionally hear the word pronounced that way, a “y” in the second syllable instead of “o.”
It is a popular name in the county. An extensive area in the southern part of the City of Newberry has long been known as “Mollohon” and the citizens residing there are very proud of it. Many years ago the Mollohon Manufacturing Company was organized in the community and it prospered over the years providing profitable employment for a large number of workers. The plant is now owned and operated by the Kendall interests. Years ago the business block directly facing the old courthouse, now the Newberry Community Hall, was known as “Mollohon Row.” There were then, as there are now, a number of very successful stores in the block.
In the wider area which once carried the name there was founded the first classical institution in the state outside of Charleston. It was known as Mt. Bethel Academy and numbered among its students many who later became outstanding citizens of the state. It furnished the first students and graduates of South Carolina College, now the University of South Carolina.
(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)
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